Play has gotten a bad reputation. Aroundsquare’s founder grew up on the simple magic of a wooden throw sleeping at the end of a string, and after years of people asking when the brand would finally make a yo-yo, the answer kept coming back no, not another version of what’s already out there. Then it clicked: the real love was never for high-performance modern throws, it was for the wooden yo-yos of childhood, a category almost nobody makes anymore. Not Machine is that idea brought back to life, launching in purple heart and maple with beech axles.
This isn’t built to chase competition specs. Not Machine is light, compact, and generously rounded, shaped for comfort in the hand rather than technical performance, with wood’s natural weight, warmth, and texture standing in for the precision-machined feel of modern throws. It’s simple and forgiving by design, the kind of yo-yo meant to just be carried and picked up on impulse, not studied or optimized. There’s even a wink built into the name itself: “yo-yo” is a protected trademark in Canada, so Aroundsquare leaned into the absurdity, this is, officially, Not A Yo-Yo, even though you’re free to call it that.
Aroundsquare has been building skill toys since the early 2000s, rooted in a love of play that traces back to the wooden yo-yos of the late '80s, and Not Machine is a return to that source. It’s a small, deliberate act of reclaiming time from optimization and constant pressure, an invitation to just throw for the sake of throwing. Pick one up and rediscover why the simplest version of this toy was the one that hooked you in the first place.
I have just received mine this weekend and decided to tinker with it abit. I think I have accidentally unlocked “god mode” lol. It plays exactly how i hoped it would. I took the wooden sleeve off, used the guts from a yomega rb2, a tiny flat washer on each side, and flowable silicone around the remaining gap to make a response pad. Here’s a pic.
I’ve got a purple heart and I’m really enjoying it!
I thought it would play like a no jive or pro yo because of the guts, but it has its own unique feel and charm.
It’s super pocketable and the feeling on the string is just incredible.
I did have to rough the axle quite a bit to get the responsiveness I wanted-- it seemed to be sanded very very smooth when I got it, so it played kinda slippy until I made that adjustment. Not sure what the maple is like, but I’m glad I got Purple heart, because it’s tough and has taken various impacts very favorably–pretty much no damage or visible marks, even after flying off the string a couple times from frequent use!
I would love to see iterations on this design (butterfly version? ). I also felt the price point was perfect.
I totally agree. Mine lives in my pocket in the little pouch it came in. I carry it everywhere. I’d like to try to do the same mod on a butterfly version. I like the modern playability but with wood. Just feels better to throw around and it’s still nice and snappy.
I also felt there would be at least some similarity, but it is its own thing for sure. It can hit the bottom hard if not just right and then it bounces up and slacks the string where it wants to knot up or just go out of control. It’s definitely more challenging to retain and regain control of than something with a bit more diameter but when you find and hold on to it’s groove…
does the purpleheart weigh more?
). I also felt the price point was perfect.